Rock Creek - Rock Creek below Piney Branch

Rock Creek below Piney Branch is a mid-creek testing site, near the National Zoo right below Kingle Rd NW. This is just below the largest combined sewer overflow discharge into Rock Creek. Working together to understand the health of District of Columbia Waters, The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) awarded a grant to Anacostia Riverkeeper to implement a volunteer-based citizen science water quality monitoring program with the goal of providing up-to-date, weekly water quality data to residents and visitors. For more information, visit doee.dc.gov/service/citizen-science-initiatives. **WARNING: SWIMMING IS PROHIBITED IN D.C. RIVERS AND STREAMS, REGARDLESS OF THE CURRENT STATUS** A “green” rating is demonstrative of the E. coli levels at one point in time. Rock Creek is designated as a Class A waterway, which means primary contact, however the DC Department of Health (DOH) bans swimming in Rock Creek due to sewage overflows. The risk of high bacteria levels after a heavy rain storm is the only reason it is considered “unsafe” to swim in the waterways. The activation of the Clean Rivers Project in DC is expected to reduce system wide combined sewage overflow by 96%, getting us significantly closer to swimmable rivers in DC 365 days a year. When there is a red "special status" update, there has been a combined sewage overflow (CSO) in the past 48 hours. This means it is extremely likely there are unsafe levels of bacteria in the river, and it is recommended to be extra cautious if you are close to the river or come in contact with the water.